The results of our exclusive survey reveal what moms think about the safety of other drivers behind the wheel — and how they rate themselves.

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Driving in a car has become something of a multimedia circus — at least for those who are talking, texting, reading e-mail, and accessing the Web on their cell phones; monitoring music on MP3 players and radios; listening to and visually tracking directions on GPS navigators; and overhearing the DVD player entertaining their kids in the back seat.

There are others, of course, who are terrified of the safety risks created by using all of these tech gadgets while driving. And an increasing number of studies show the dangerous outcomes of calling and texting behind the wheel: Phone use while driving causes up to 25% of accidents — and was responsible for nearly 5,500 deaths in 2009.

Given the inherent risk of distracted driving, we at Good Housekeeping wanted to know what moms are really doing in the car while driving with their kids, and how concerned they are about their own habits as well as the habits of other drivers, their teenaged children, and their elderly parents. We recently partnered with Yahoo Shine! on a survey of moms to find out. Our 252 respondents were aged 30 to 55 and have two children under age 25.

In their day-to-day lives, mothers are multitaskers. On the road, they're no different: Nearly a third (31%) of moms in our survey reported always or almost always multitasking while driving — eating, fiddling with the radio, making phone calls, etc. — and 55% of moms admit to multitasking at least some of the time. Many are going against their better judgment. Almost half — 44% — of moms admitted they are indeed distracted from the road by doing these numerous activities at once.

Cell phone use while driving is particularly pervasive: 59% of moms admit to answering their cell phones while driving at least sometimes — and a full quarter answer their phone often or every time it rings. Nearly half (48%) say they've made calls from behind the wheel at least occasionally, and nearly one in five make calls even more frequently. And yet, about 70% think chatting on a phone while driving is distracting. Research supports this opinion: Study after study confirm that using a phone while driving decreases reaction time, takes drivers' eyes off the road, and leads to speed fluctuations and lane swerving — all of which add up to a greater likelihood of accidents.

Texting behavior is also common. About one in five moms (22%) admit to reading text messages or e-mails at least sometimes while driving, and 18% admit to sending them. However, more than half say they are distracted by these electronic notes.

Despite these attention-impeding actions of their own, moms are even more concerned about others' distracted driving habits: 22% of moms say they are very worried about their own cell phone use, but 52% are concerned about other drivers being distracted by their phones.

Perhaps it's because moms are engaged in using a variety of electronics that a recent study from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia showed that grandchildren may be safer riding in cars with their grandparents than with their parents. The study found that kids are half as likely to be injured in an accident when riding with older adults.

What Moms Are Doing to Reduce Driving Distractions

The good news: Even though a majority of moms in our survey admit to using their cell phones, 33% of them reported making an effort to limit the use of electronic devices in the car because they know it's distracting.

27% say they never make calls

20% claim they don't answer the phone

18% silence the ringer

10% turn off the phone entirely

While some rely on hands-free options such as Bluetooth (28%) or speakerphone (31%), studies of accidents caused by cell phone distraction find hands-free calling to be no safer (the phone conversation itself being the main issue).

A number of outside factors would convince cell-phone-using moms to limit this activity:

35% say that being in a car accident caused by a driver using an electronic device would influence their cell phone use

34% say that laws against using phones would be enough of a deterrent

34% say that knowing someone who's been in such an accident would be a deterrent

29% say that personally witnessing such an accident would get them to reduce their use

When it comes to their driving-age kids, emotions run high. Of the moms of 16- to 25-year-olds we spoke to, 67% are very worried about their children checking or sending text messages, and 54% are very worried about phone calls. Other distractions that were top concerns to our surveyed moms:

48% are worried about e-mailing and instant messaging

44% are worried about kids' surfing the Web and updating Facebook or Twitter

Moms are less concerned about kids' GPS use — only 15% are very worried about it being distracting. Our theory: Knowing children have one alleviates fears of them getting lost, and GPSes are much less distracting than a map or written directions.

Moms are taking a proactive approach toward curbing their kids' cell phone use in the car. Nearly 90% have talked to their young drivers about the dangers of on-the-road calling and texting; 65% are careful not to call their kids when they know they're driving; and 50% have outright banned their children from using their phones when behind the wheel. Most moms (88%) think their words of warning have been at least somewhat successful in reducing this distracting behavior.

How Moms Feel About Their Aging Parents' Distracted Driving Habits

Moms report having fewer concerns about their aging parents being distracted while behind the wheel. Of the women with parents over the age of 65, 27% are very worried about technology taking their parents' attention off the road — and another 24% are somewhat worried. While we didn't ask, we suspect this is because a smaller proportion of these grandparents are as plugged in as the young drivers. Still, 41% of the women we surveyed have spoken with their aging parents about the risks of cell-phone use while driving.

What's the Government To Do?

As of September 2011, 34 states have banned texting from behind the wheel, and nine prohibit using handheld cell phones entirely; for novice drivers (typically those under age 18), 41 states prohibit texting and 30 states outlaw cell phone use altogether. Two pilot programs — in Syracuse, NY and Hartford, CT—in which drivers caught using phones were heavily fined (similar to "Click It or Ticket" seatbelt campaigns) reduced handheld phone use up to one-half and text-messaging to nearly three-quarters of what it had been before the programs. In addition, initiatives such as the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Put it Down" campaign and FocusDriven (an advocacy group of people who've lost loved ones to distracted-driving accidents) are working to bring awareness of the dangers.

What role do you think the government should play in prohibiting distracting behavior while driving? Please let us know in the comments below.